Election

The candidates lined up in a row
Turn on the cameras, time to start the show
They kissed babies with a tie
Tried every soundbite that might fly
But be they congressmen or preachers
The only ones who made the features
Were those who knew their station
Is that a man or a corporation?

And each spineless spam who won that round
Went on to the big buck battleground
They bought some ads and they bought some more
And they got freebies by the score
Hired thugs went door to door
Especially if you’re black or poor
Said your vote might be against the law
Don’t tell me the deal is raw

And we had an election, it ain’t no lie
It was the best one money could buy

The news reported every word
Uttered by these two old birds
As if their tongues were heaven-sent
They didn’t tell us what was meant
No voting record to analyze
And watch as they feign surprise
When history proves to us again
The thieving crooks who are these men

Chorus

And on the TV not a word
From those dirty commie peacenik nerds
There will be debates, slogans will fly
But only rich men need apply
There’s only room up there for two
Tweedledee and tweedledoo
Uncounted ballots will litter the floor
In this banana Republican class war

Chorus

And when it all is said and done
The pundits will say democracy won
Some will cry into their socks
Some will sit and watch more Fox
Where scandals, wars and desperation
Are all the fault of the United Nations
While those who drill the oil and make the tanks
Laugh out loud all the way to the bank

Chorus

“Election” originally appeared on the 2003 Soundclick release, Beyond the Mall.

American democracy is a ridiculous farce. The patriotic Americans will often refer to the US as the world’s oldest continually-functioning democracy. While this may arguably be the case, what is generally not mentioned is that it is also one of the world’s least democratic democracies. The system is rigged in such a way that there is never any hope of a third party to thrive. And to paraphrase Howard Zinn, “two parties — that’s only one more than one party.” Adding to that systemic problem of “winner take all,” or what the British call “first past the post,” there is the massive, very American problem of total corruption. Lobbying is a form of legalized corruption, and lobbying is how the United States government functions — or fails to function.